Cash, Sports, The Only Defense, and More
Friday, January 5, 2023
Happy first Friday of 2024 everyone!
Here are 10 things I found interesting from the last week or so.
Cash: The Autobiography
To start this week’s newsletter and the beginning of 2024, I’d like to note the first book I’m reading: the autobiography of Johnny Cash (it’s been a while since I first picked up the copy).
I’m barely a fifth in and really enjoying his stories so far. Singing and playing music was Cash’s defense against the world. It’s one way he coped with his brother’s tragic death and how he battled with his various addictions. Music protected him from getting hurt. Music healed him when he inevitably did. Music was the magic that took him through all the dark places as he wrote.
I’m thinking about doing a breakdown of the book soon. Let me know if is this something you’d like to read. And if so, please send more biography/autobiography/memoir suggestions too!
Sports in 2024
Also, regarding the upcoming year, I’d like to note all the events arriving across sports this year:
That’s a lot of sports. Too many sports? Never. Sports are great. 2024 will be great. I hope it will be great for you too. And if it’s not, well, there’s still sports.
Worst Plan, Best Plan
I read a thread this week by writer Baxter Blackwood (a fellow Colorado Buff, I might add!). He wrote about a fellow writer, David Perrell, and a conversation he had with his Dad about building an audience around ideas.
Also, if you like that, Blackwood has his own Substack: Strong Convictions, Loosely Held.
There Is Only One Defense
A quote I found this week by poet Kenneth Rexroth:
“Against the ruin of the world, there is only one defense: the creative act.”
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: to create is to escape. More specifically, to create art is a means of escaping to life, not from life. As heavyweight champion boxer Jack Dempsey said,
“The best defense is a good offense.”
Thus, in the game of life let’s say, the creative act is one of our best offensive plays there is.
Chindōgu
Chindōgu is the art of un-useless inventions and the philosophy behind Japanese artist Kenji Kawakami.
Chindōgu is best explained through its ten core tenets: cannot be for real use, must exist, must have a spirit of anarchy, is a tool for everyday life, is not a tradeable commodity, must not have been created for purposes of humor alone (humor is merely the by-product), is not propaganda, is not taboo, cannot be patented, and is without prejudice.
Check out some interesting examples here.
Bitconned
The crime documentary Bitconned was released on New Year’s Day. If you’re hungry for a wild story about scammers within the cryptocurrency boom from a few years back, this was worth the watch.
Check out the official trailer here.
Baïeta Restaurant in District 2
That’s it. That’s the thing. Definitely worth visiting if you like cocktails, tapas, and a nice view of Landmark 81 from the water.
Check their Facebook here.
New Favorite IG
Another creator I came across this week I like: @drex.dsn.
Check out their work here and their most recent post below:
Orlando Magic Will Retire Shaq’s No. 32
Big shout out to the Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal for having his jersey retired by the Orlando Magic — the team who drafted him #1 overall in the 1992 NBA Draft (the 1st player to do so for the franchise).
So, while we’re at it, here are some highlights from Shaq’s rookie season in Orlando from the NBA Vault. A lean 20-year-old Shaq grabbing rebounds, going coast-to-coast dunking, or making no-look passes is awesome and still terrifying 30-plus years later.
On Remembering
To end this week’s newsletter, I’d like to share another quote I’ve been thinking about recently. Author Morgan Housel wrote:
“People don’t remember books; they remember sentences.”
That same idea may extend further than just books and sentences.
Perhaps people don’t remember movies; they remember scenes.
Perhaps people don’t remember albums; they remember lyrics.
Perhaps people won’t remember their whole life; they’ll only remember moments.
I feel this is why so many artists seem to struggle in “real life.”
A writer can rewrite a sentence.
A director can redirect a scene.
A singer can resing a lyric.
But none of us can relive a moment, for that moment is already gone.
Thank you for reading. Enjoy the weekend and see you next Friday
—Garrett
P.S. “and More!”
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Happy New Year!